Chicken Ordinance?

I’m a little confused. You see, I just read an article in The Morning News that discussed a proposed ordinance to allow up to four hens per home in Fayetteville. Do people really want to start having chicken coops in their backyard… or in a spare bedroom at their apartment? Did Cosmo Kramer move to town?

I’ll tell you what I don’t want: for the air around my house to smell like chicken excrement.

One local resident even showed up in support for allowing geese, goats and even llamas within the city limits. Amazing. Why don’t we go ahead and throw in camels for good measure?

First off, let me say that I’m 100% ignorant as to what current city ordinances and laws permit in terms of allowing livestock on residential land. Hopefully, you the reader knows something about this and can fill the rest of us in. I assume that owning livestock(chickens & hens in particular) is permitted under certain conditions(location, size of land, facilities, etc.), but it seems a little odd to allow for livestock in your backyard.

From what I gather from the article, the ordinace would also handle how far a coop has to be from surrounding structures, how much coop space per chicken and how to best register them.

According to The Morning News, roughly 25 people attended the meeting, most in support of the ordinance. Mandy Cox, who collected around 300 names on a petition in support of allowing chickens in the city, criticized a requirement that hens only be allowed to roam when owners were home.

“The only problem with that, is it’s just like raising chickens in a chicken house,” Cox said. “They need some space to get out, they need sun. They shouldn’t be so confined.”

Isn’t that exactly why allowing chickens in the city is a problem? No one wants chickens or chicken coops in residential areas, save for the 300 folks that signed the petition. I guarantee you that we could get a lot more signatures from folks opposed to this ordinance.

What do you think?

Does anyone have any insight on what the city currently allows in terms of residential livestock as it relates to hens and chickens?

Discussion

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Lankford

Someone tell those 300 people they can move to Springdale where I’m sure you can have yourself a whole mess of chickens in your yard. I grew up on a farm for part of my childhood and took care of the chickens, guineas, and turkeys. Trust me, you don’t want your neighbor having those things for a multitude of reasons.

t-dawg

I think I’m gonna have to respectfully disagree here, JTrain. I mean, 4 chickens? That’s really nothing to get so worked up about. If this were in support of an ordinance saying people could have a whole flock on their property within city limits, I could see why people might be upset. But 4? 4 Chickens on someone’s OWN PERSONAL land should not be an issue, assuming there is a sufficient amount of land–and you don’t need much. Obviously, people shouldn’t be keeping chicken in their apartments, but if someone has, say, a quarter acre or more, they should be allowed to have a few chickens if they want. And given the way the economy is tanking, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot more people with chickens, as they’re a really cheap and easy source of quality protein. I grew up around all sorts of animals, and I can tell you that 4 chickens is nothing–they aren’t going to make the yard smell any worse than four dogs would, and they’re not really any louder than dogs either.

halfdeserted

I have two chickens, and my neighbors all know and don’t care. I also routinely hand out eggs to keep everyone happy, and they know that if there’s a problem to let us know and we’ll deal with it. We get about an egg a day. My two chickens don’t smell bad at all (perhaps you’re thinking of chicken houses with hundreds of chickens), and they’re not as loud as some of the dogs around here. I don’t see what the issue is with having a couple of chickens, as long as you don’t have a rooster. I could see how that would be a problem.

Total Bastard

I wouldn’t mind having a few chickens. I hope they outlaw the roosters for noise reasons.

Its a no brainer. When you get sick of taking care of your chickens, rather than abandoning them or taking them to the shelter, you just eat em.

Do chickens eat bugs, etc? If they would only eat mosquitos I’d be all for them.

Lamas, goats, etc etc. Bring em on (THANKS GEORGE BUSH).

http://www.FayettevilleFlyer.com JTrain

Thanks for chiming in guys. I appreciate hearing back from you.

I guess I’m in the minority here(at least on the flyer), but I just don’t like the idea of livestock in residential neighborhoods. I think when you start blurring the lines between residential and agriculturally zoned areas, you’re going to open the flood gates for all sort of things. For example, If Bill can have four chickens, then why not let Mary have two goats or one emu? For that matter, why not allow Gary to start a small oil & lube business out of his garage?

I feel that we have zoning laws for a reason. Now, if someone were to create a new zoning type(which probably already exists somewhere) that was Residential/Agricultural and apply it to new development, and/or vote on re-zoning certain established residential areas, I would be all for that. If the people vote for it, then so be it. I wouldn’t be too happy about it if it passed in my neck of the woods, but at least it was put up for a vote.

Also, in terms of it being cost effective. I’m not sure I get that either. Say a dozen eggs cost $2 at the store and you have a chicken that produces 1 egg/day. That means that if it costs more than $0.17/day to feed, house, heat & cool, vaccinate and register the chicken, it is no longer economical. Now, when you bring in economies of scale into the equation, it then becomes economically viable. But for a small # of chickens, I don’t think it’s any cheaper, or at least not much, than buying eggs at the store.

Now, if you just like raising chickens and getting fresh eggs every day, I can understand that.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but, you know, I tend to do that.

Anyway, I hope I’m not coming off as a jerk. I don’t mean any offense or disrespect to those of you with chickens or who are pro-chicken ordinance, I’m just putting my opinion out there… as thick-headed and stubborn as it may be. Again, thanks for commenting.

Total Bastard

Listen, Jerk.

No, I think the your idea about a blended zoning is a good idea.

I think if they restrict it to certain animals, it will kind of take care of itself. I have a big yard, though, so I can see how in certain neighborhoods it might become a nuisance. There will be people who always try to bend the rules.

I guess this will be covered under the umbrella of the rest of code enforcement.

I think having some barnyard animals in certain areas would be kind of fun. Its just an extension of people growing their own food, etc.

This is a great example, IMO, of how this can make our city even greener.

These folks in Pasadena grow a lot of their own stuff, have some goats, etc all on a tiny lot. Its really cool, and I could see some of the locals getting in on the act:

JTrain– You can always choose to live in a subdivision with covenants that don’t allow livestock. Many of the newer neighborhoods have that as part of their covenants. I live in an older neighborhood, and I like the lack of rules. If I have a get-together and some cars have to park on the street, it’s not a problem. I can use my garage as a workshop, for my car, or for making beer (as my husband does)– it’s my choice. In some neighborhoods, that wouldn’t fly, but we like this part of town, and we like having the right to choose how we use our property. Short of harming others (meth labs, crack dens) or being a public nuisance (roosters, dogs that never stop barking), I don’t think the city should have any say over what happens on my property. Our neighbors didn’t know we had chickens until we told them; they’re fenced in, and they’re not bothering anyone. I’m a realtor, and before we got them I thought about how they might affect property values, but no one even knows we have them unless we tell them, so I don’t see why it matters.

Chickens are quite cheap to feed. We’ve had two chickens for seven months now and have only bought two $7 bags of feed. They chill in their coop (that my husband built) and peck around the backyard. No harm, no foul (or fowl, hehe). We have them mostly because we’re trying to get closer to our food– it’s a lot more sustainable to have your own chickens rather than to pay for eggs that are transported from place to place, using fuel and releasing fumes in the process. For us, it’s just another step in the right direction, like shopping at Farmer’s Market, buying locally, and growing our own garden. Plus, fresh eggs are yummy!

We had a small flock of chickens when I was growing up and it was great! Lots of free eggs and no grubs (which turn into Japanese beetles) and no ticks because the chickens ate them.

I would totally have four chickens if I could.

t-dawg

J-Train: I think you’re making a slippery slope argument about how 4 chickens will spiral out of control and suddenly you’ll end up in the middle of a petting zoo. I think if we’re being reasonable, you’ll agree that that isn’t going to happen. If you’re unwilling to be reasonable about it, however, then the same faulty logic can be used the other way to suggest that if we aren’t going to allow a person to keep 4 chickens on their land, then people shouldn’t be allowed to have 4 dogs, or 1 dog, or a fucking gerbil, or whatever. Obviously a line has to be drawn somewhere. Where’s the line between 4 chickens and a whole chicken coop? I don’t know, but I think it would be far closer to 4 than 400.

But honestly, I think this is too big a fuss–the bottom line here is that this probably isn’t something the city should get involved in until it becomes a nuisance. If someone has 40 chickens and their neighbors don’t care, then what’s the big deal? Conversely, if someone has 1 chicken that is somehow a nuisance to the neighborhood, that chicken should be exterminated. The same is true for dogs, cats, whatever. Chickens aren’t exclusively agricultural animals because of their size–it is perfectly reasonable to keep a couple like you would any other pet. Of course, if we’re talking about large livestock, that’s a different issue.

http://www.rebeccahaden.com Rebecca

Perhaps you’re mixing up poultry houses with a couple of chickens in the garden. Poultry houses smell bad, stir up allergies, and don’t belong in residential neighborhoods, but a couple of chickens are no more unpleasant or commercial than a couple of dogs or parrots or bluejays or tortoises, or any other small living creatures.
Chances are, you didn’t know that, because you’ve only seen chickens in chicken houses.
So perhaps there are educational benefits as well.

Total Bastard

My neighbors are like the Bumpasses in A Christmas Story. Their dogs are loose

Total Bastard

woops..

Their dogs are loose every DAY!

They do it on purpose. They have a small yard, so they want their dogs to take sh*ts in my yard.

I think about having chickens, out in the pen, eating grubs and ticks, etc and then I picture those goddamned hounds coming over and murdering them.

While we’re on the subject of nuisance animals, what should I do about my neighbors dogs?

Ronnie

I can see the headline now “Massive Bird Flu Outbreak in Fayetteville AR!” Seriously, a chicken ordinance? How in the hell did the council go from balancing the budget last week to an ordinance on chickens the next? This town blows my mind.

Ronnie

TB get a pellet gun and set up in a window that you can get a good shot at the dogs. When they cross the line give them a good stinger in the butt. Sooner or later they will get the hint, and if they don’t at least you get revenge for the turds in your yard.

Matt

I’m in favor of small number of chickens. 4 Chickens will not stink, hens are not loud, and they are really quite charming critters when you get to know them.

As others have pointed out, dogs are more than 10 times as loud as hens, will bark all night given the opportunity and a bad owner, and I can smell the neighbors dogshit 3 blocks away. These criticisms of hens, really, are moot. Hens should be regarded as pets, not livestock (in small numbers) and fall under the jurisdiction of animal control. If somebody is being a bad pet owner, animal control can and should be the folks to handle it.

Let me say it again – If someone tries to move twenty hens and a rooster into a residential neighborhood, animal control will handle it.

If the animals are being improperly kept or cared for, such that there IS an odor or a noise, animal control can take care of it. Probably better than they do the damn nuisance dogs people ignore in their yards.

chancevb

My buddy has two chickens in his yard, in really nice coop he built himself, and it’s great. He lives in LR and has an unlimited supply of eggs and a neat pair of pets.

chickenlvr

My buddy eats chickens for dinner.
So do I.
OH and I’ve eaten a few total bastards.
Taste surprisingly like chicken!

Clarissa

In my opinion, a handful of chickens in a backyard of someone’s house will not cause any problems with surrounding neighbors. Of course we don’t want chickens running through our city streets, but come on; Fayetteville residents are, in the most part, very respectful when it comes to taking care of our city. And it really takes a lot of chickens to occur “the chicken smell.” I don’t mind one bit to know that some residents are keeping chickens in their backyard. There is absolutely no harm in this situation as long as they are responsibily taken care of.

Behlul

As an international student living in Fayetteville, I have noticed some interesting attributes of this city. From what I have come across while visiting friends and neighbors, I have actually seen that the current fayetteville students and residents that would not consider in the least of keeping an animal in their yard are far less responsible and inconsiderate of the city’s wellbeing. On the other hand, the residents inside the city that actually keep animals like these are the most responsible and caring people for the city. I have noticed that they recycle, are enviornmental in other ways, and are very aware of the city’s growth needs.

4 chickens are a wonderful thing to have in the backyard, they are freindly, fun to watch, and you get fresh eggs that are not months old like grocery store eggs.

Allow the roosters too, I would much rather hear a rooster, than hear dogs barking.

Its amusingly distusting to hear all these people who have NO clue about chickens whining about the noise, and the smell, as Im sure most of them probably have dogs that are noiser, and make larger messes.

BrightGreenNurse

Dangerous strains of bird flu are actually a result of keeping chickens in cramped, unclean conditions (huge chicken houses). The flu is able to mutate an unnatural number of times under those filthy conditions and the answer to that problem IS keeping chickens in backyards or free range (NOT close confinement, trapped in tons of feces, etc) on a farm. Backyard hens are at a far greater risk of contracting bird flu from you walking by a chicken truck with the virus and taking it home to them. It is highly unlikely that they develop it in your backyard where they live in clean, unstressed, healthy conditions that lead to optimal health. Basically, you just use contact precautions like you would in the hospital to protect them from bringing a virus home to your chickens (meaning…have special clothes you wear to care for your birds to prevent putting them in contact with everything you walked past in the community that day). To be quite honest, the massive chicken houses pose a greater public health risk to you than your neighbor keeping 3 or 4 hens.

Usually urban chicken laws allow you to have 3-4 hens, but no roosters to prevent noise disturbances. People like keeping their own chickens, because the eggs are have better nutritional value than egg-laying hens kept in cages for their whole lives and it’s a more humane way to treat the animals. They’re pretty entertaining, too. I would love to do this myself one day.

As for llamas, goats, etc…just because they allow chickens, doesn’t mean it will open the door to allowing every barnyard animal in town. Chickens have less space requirements than goats, llamas, etc and it wouldn’t be feasible in the city to keep a llama in such a small space. These animals need a pasture to graze in. The only animals that will ever be allowed in backyards are ones that can thrive in those conditions without becoming a public nuisance, so I don’t think you’ll have to worry. Also, large cities like Atlanta have had successful backyard chicken ordinances for a long time. Urban chickens are growing in popularity in many large cities and have been quite successful.

amirek

Springdale doesn’t have a chicken ordinance. They don’t allow chickens in non-agricultural areas, which is a shame. I live on agricultural-zoned land in the middle of Springale, and I have 10 guineas and 10 hens. No roosters, but my guineas are probably noisier than roosters. I love having free range fowl…they eat the bugs on our property, even eat the grass seed when the grass grows a bit too high. The guineas warn us of intruders on our property. They all lay eggs, and the eggs taste WONDERFUL! Store bought eggs are nasty compared to fresh eggs. Our chickens and guineas have a coop and a yard, and free range during the day when I’m home (because I won’t let them roam alone due to the hawks that live nearby). All of the chickens and guineas have personalities. While they’re all pretty stupid, they learn some things very quickly, particularly if you offer them millet seed as a reward. Hens are actually quiet birds–they do occasionally let out a cluck or a squawk, but it’s nowhere near as annoying as barking dogs, or cats that fight in the middle of the night. Four hens aren’t going to make a big stink. I have 20, and even so, the odor is very mild (and I have an extremely sensitive nose–ask my husband). I’m delighted that Fayetteville is allowing hens in residential areas. I wish Springdale would do the same.

bettiblue

Ok, let me just say I’ve been living next to approximately 4-12 chickens for the past year. Some of you think that it is a great idea, but let me tell you that no matter what, it doesn’t smell like a bed of roses. Once you allow this by law then you are opening up a can of worms for the rest of us to deal with. For example, there is the problem of how responsible the chicken owner is in abiding by town zoning and courtesy to neighbors. Meaning, how often are they cleaning out their coop and are they raising more chickens than allowed? PEEEE-UUUU. Do they insist that they need a rooster and now you are not sleeping because of crowing at all hours of the morning and afternoon? And then as a citizen you have to rely on your city or town to enforce the issue. They are not always responsive to forcing neighbors to comply. Let me just say that these chickens have had a very negative impact on my life. Please reconsider putting your neighbors through this.

Seth

Have you tried talking with your neighbor? Not trying to dumb down the situation but sometimes speaking with the neighbor will solve most problems. If this doesn’t work you have the right, and in my opinion the obligation, to report these un-sanitary conditions to the city and I promise you they will enforce the ordinance. This is far too controversial of an ordinance for the city to sit idly.

Boyd Logan

Bettiblue,

Your neighbor is in violation of the ordinance if s/he has over 4 chickens or has a rooster. Those particulars of the ordinance are in it for a reason (which you’ve pointed out). If your neighbor is violating the ordinance, it doesn’t mean the ordinance (or raising urban chickens) is a bad idea, it means you’re living next to someone who is breaking the law. If your neighbor isn’t willing to comply with the law and the chickens present a nuisance, you need to let the city deal with it (especially the rooster… that’s a bigtime no no).

a. brown

Should this be in news, or opinion?

a. brown

Pardon, didn’t see how old this was. I <3 chickens, also.

http://www.jtoddgill.com Todd Gill

@a. brown – Even though it’s old, you’re right about the category. I moved it out of news. Thanks.